Description
Common names include sweet woodruff, sweet scented bedstraw, wild baby’s breath and master of the woods. It is widely cultivated for its flowers and its sweet-smelling foliage. Sweet Woodruff is sweet and strongly scented, the sweet scent coming from chemical coumarin within the plant. The sweet scent only increases on wilting and, then persists once dry. The dried plant can be used in potpourri and as a moth repellent. Besides it’s aromatic qualities, The fresh leaves and stems can be used as dyes. A tan colour can be made with the leaves and out of the stems a red dye.
With a flowering period from late spring to mid summer, Galium odoratum enjoys sunny partial shade and moist soils. A fantastic ground cover plant with heaps of green foliage. Sweet woodruff can often be found as groundcover in woodland and other shaded areas with moist, well-drained soil.